Gulls set school record for blocks as they sweep Emmanuel
Feb. 27, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott College men's volleyball team set a school record for blocks in a three-game match with 13 ½, while defeating Emmanuel College 3-0 in a North East Collegiate Volleyball Association match at the MacDonald Gymnasium in Beverly, Mass. held on Wednesday night.
Both teams appeared equally matched in the early going of the first game, battling to a 5-5 score. Emmanuel would take advantage of several Endicott miscues to take a 9-6 lead, forcing the Gulls to use a timeout. Endicott fought back, eventually evening the score at 13-all after a strong kill by sophomore A.J. Witkofsky (Scotia, N.Y./Burnt-Hills-Ballston Lake). The Gulls would then get hot, using an ace from senior Jeremy Hamel (Industry, Maine/Mount Blue) and a block from Witkofsky to build a 17-13 lead. After an Emmanuel timeout, Endicott picked up where they had left off, scoring five of the next seven points while increasing their lead to 22-15. Emmanuel would close the gap to 23-19 behind the strong play of freshman Curtis Abram (San Luis Obispo, Calif./San Luis Obispo) who had two kills and an ace during the Saints 4-1 Saints run. After an ace by senior Brendan Ellis (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford) cut the lead to 25-23, Endicott was forced to take their second timeout. The two teams would exchange points the rest of the way, and after another kill by Witkofsky the Gulls took the first game by a score of 30-28.
Endicott came out strong in the second game, immediately grabbing a 4-0 lead. The Saints rallied back, and after a strong kill by freshman Cameron Todd (Los Angeles, Calif./Crespi Carmelite) they had closed the gap to 9-7. After a rash of miscues by the Saints, the Gulls were able to take a 16-11 advantage and force Emmanuel to take a timeout. Out of the timeout the Gulls won four of the next five points, grabbing a 20-12 lead after back-to-back blocks by Witkofsky and sophomore John Emery (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy). The lead would swell to 22-12 before the Saints decided to use another timeout. From there, Endicott would cruise to take the second game by a score of 30-17.
Both teams exchanged points to start the third game, competing heavily to a 5-5 score. The Gulls would use a kill from freshman Zeke Kubisch (Bethlehem, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) and consecutive blocks from sophomore James Silva (Monroe, Conn./St. Joseph's) and John Emery to grab an 11-8 lead. The Saints wouldn't go away, fighting to even the score at 12-all while forcing several Endicott errors. The score would remain dead-locked midway through the third game at 15-all, as both teams struggled to gain control. After the Gulls had taken a three point lead, the Saints evened the score behind the strong jump-serve of sophomore Michael Towsend (Beaverdam, Va./Patrick Henry), and eventually took the lead 21-20. Endicott would immediately regain the lead as freshman Jordan Durant (Honolulu, Hawaii/Maryknool School) scored the next two points, following up a kill with a stifling block to make the score 22-21. With the score tied at 24, the Gulls finally managed to take control by going on a 6-1 run to close out the third and final game by a score of 30-25.
The Saints were paced by Curtis Abram and Brendan Ellis, who both had a team-high 10 kills in the loss.
Endicott was led by A.J. Witkofsky's team-high 15 kills and eight blocks. Ben Foster contributed 40 assists to go along with five digs. Junior Dan Coleman (Millis, Mass./Millis) led the team with 17 digs, while Jordan Durant also chipped in with 11 kills in the win.
This was the first conference loss of the year for Emmanuel, dropping them to 5-1 in the NECVA and 10-11 overall. With the win the Gulls improve to 5-2 in the NECVA and 9-7 overall. The Saints will return to action on Tuesday at Rivier. Endicott will play again on Monday when they travel to Brookline, Mass. to take on Newbury.